Amazon just changed the rules for ad targeting. Now, you can focus your Sponsored Brands campaigns on the exact shoppers most likely to buy—even if these folks have never bought from you before.
It sounds a bit wild, right? But this is happening. Amazon added special bid adjustments for Sponsored Brands. You can boost your bids for custom audience groups. One group is the “New-To-Brand (NTB) Shoppers.” That’s Amazon speak for: spend your money better, earn more, and stop fighting over your old shoppers while the competition grabs all the new ones.
And get this: some advertisers went big with NTB boosts. We’re talking 100%+ bid bumps. The result? Twice as many new buyers. Yes—double your fresh customers. This is the future of smart marketing. Your ad dollars hunt for people who actually buy, not just more empty clicks.
Key Takeaways:
Before, running Amazon Sponsored Brands was about tweaking keywords. You’d up your bid or move stuff around and cross your fingers. Sometimes it worked. But you never knew exactly who was seeing your ads.
Why stick to guessing? With these new audience bid options, you can aim your spend right at people most likely to buy. No more spraying cash all over the place. Now you can chase people searching in your category, shoppers showing strong buying signals, or the holy grail—NTB folks on the edge of buying from you for the first time. It’s way more focused, and it’s already changing how brands run their campaigns.
If your team loves advanced Amazon ad stuff, check out our Features. They’re built to help you squeeze more out of every campaign.
So let’s clear this up. NTB means a person shopping on Amazon who hasn’t bought from you in the last year. These shoppers are still looking around and haven’t tried your stuff. That’s why they’re valuable.
Why should you care? Amazon’s own numbers say boosting NTB bids led to twice as many new customer orders compared to sticking with the old strategy. That’s massive for brands stuck chasing return buyers.
“We boosted NTB bids by 120% for a product launch, and nearly tripled our year-on-year new customer orders in a single quarter.” — Samantha Duong, Amazon Ads Strategist
Here’s the truth most folks won’t say out loud. Most Sponsored Brands money chases old shoppers. That might feel safe, but it’s not a growth plan. NTB bidding lets you break out and win over people who haven’t picked a brand.
Think of these buyers like free agents. If you reach them first, you might get a sale and, maybe, a new loyal customer. With NTB bid tools, you can jump in right as shoppers are making up their minds.
Let’s break out some easy math. Say you notch up your campaign with a 150% boost for NTB groups. Your ad should get better spots where it matters—on screens full of fresh eyeballs. As long as your creative and targeting fit, your chance for a first-time order rises fast.
Not just theory. Amazon’s own case studies say “100%+ increases on NTB bids delivered ~2x new customer orders versus static bidding.” In plain words: if you’re just targeting old buyers, you’re missing growth. Just don’t get reckless and spend like crazy. You’ve got to keep it in check.
Here’s a true story. A mid-size vitamin brand tried doubling its NTB bids alongside its usual ads. In three months, new customers jumped 65%, and their ROAS from NTB was up 21%.
The lead marketer said it best: “Finally, we’re getting credit for actual growth, not just farming the same group of repeat buyers over and over.”
No need to hunt through hidden menus. Just open your Amazon Advertising Console. Under Sponsored Brands, find the new “Bid Adjustments” tab. Here’s what to do:
Pro tip: Don’t just set your bid and forget it. Amazon’s data changes fast as shoppers behave differently each week. You should check in at least weekly.
If Sponsored Brands is the engine, AMC is like a turbo boost. AMC unlocks Amazon’s big pile of data so you can build super-targeted lists.
For instance, target:
Once you’ve made these tiny audience groups, you can spend more only on people showing strong buying signs. That’s how marketers start winning, not just getting more traffic.
If you want to dig deep or scale things fast, try AMC Cloud. It’s made for campaign analysis and building custom lists from AMC data, with steps you can actually do.
“Applying AMC audience insights meant no more wasted spend: We isolated the window-shoppers and only ramped up bids for those with real conversion intent.” — Jordan V., Ecommerce Lead
Let’s look at the wins:
There are some risks:
One pet food company launched a video just for dog owners. They used AMC to track viewers who didn’t buy, then added a 100% NTB bid bump in Sponsored Brands.
The result? A 2.5x rise in conversion rate and a 34% drop in cost per new customer. These are real, hard numbers—just by smart, careful bidding and targeting.
Still reading? Here’s the quick version:
1. What are bid adjustments on Amazon Sponsored Brands?
They let you set higher or lower ad bids for certain audiences inside Sponsored Brands. Instead of just keywords, you set spend by who’s seeing your ads.
2. Who qualifies as a New-To-Brand (NTB) shopper?
NTB shoppers haven’t bought from your brand in a year or more. Targeting them helps you win over fresh buyers.
3. How do I set up audience bid adjustments in Sponsored Brands?
Log into Amazon Advertising Console or use their API. In the campaign, look for the "Bid Adjustments" tab. Pick your audience (like NTB), and set any boost from 0 to 900%.
4. Are there risks with high bid adjustments?
Yes—bid too much, too fast and you’ll burn through cash with little payoff. Raise bids slowly, check your ACoS and CPA regularly, and keep an eye on your goals.
5. Can I use audience bid adjustments worldwide?
Yes. It works in the Americas, Europe, Middle East, and Asia-Pacific. If you can run Sponsored Brands, you can use these tools.
6. What analytics should I track after I enable bid adjustments?
Watch impressions, click-through rate, NTB order counts, ROAS, and ACoS for each audience. Use detailed reports in the console or dig into AMC for more info on who converts, and how to adjust next.
Don’t just hope. Use the feedback, make changes, and keep getting better at winning new buyers.
The days of one-size-fits-all Amazon campaigns are finished. Audience-level bid adjustments let you find new buyers and grow your profits by targeting the real high-potential shoppers—especially those "New-To-Brand Shoppers" and custom AMC lists. If you put your money behind the right groups, you won’t just keep up; you’ll get ahead.
The best brands are already doing this. They’re growing into new categories using this data. Others are waiting—and missing their shot at new customers. Your call.
Want better results on Amazon in 2025? See how AMC Cloud can make segmentation and campaign launches easy, or check out more killer Features to level up your ads.